That voice stopped Tōyama in his tracks.
He frowned slightly and turned toward its source—Ogata, who had planted the bokken against the ground and was slowly pushing himself back to his feet.
“You still refuse to admit defeat?” Tōyama asked impatiently.
“You are a samurai too.
Surely you saw the enormous difference between us during that last match.
“I could tell from the way you moved—you couldn’t even follow my sword, could you?
If your eyes cannot keep pace with my blade, how could you possibly defeat me?
“No matter how many times you challenge me, there can be only one outcome: defeat!”
“Defeat…” Ogata repeated softly.
By then, he had risen fully upright.
Tightening his right hand around the bokken, he gave it several easy flourishes, then showed Tōyama an unreadable smile.
“In that case, why not face me once more and see whether those words of yours are true?”
Tōyama had been about to reject him outright.
Yet the strange confidence in Ogata’s smile made his heart sink.
Could it be that he wasn’t fighting seriously before?
No.
The way he panicked under my attacks couldn’t possibly have been an act…
But he doesn’t look as though he’s bluffing now, either.
While Tōyama hesitated, O-Fuku stared anxiously at Ogata.
“Ogata-sama! You still want to fight?”
“I do,” Ogata answered without hesitation.
“I cannot accept losing to that man like this.”
The moment he finished, O-Saki hurriedly added, “B-but you’re no match for him!”
O-Saki knew nothing of swordsmanship, but even she had seen Ogata being overwhelmed without the slightest chance to strike back.
She could not believe that, after being felled by a single thrust, he had somehow gained the strength to reverse the outcome in an instant.
After both women pleaded with him not to continue, Ogata turned and regarded them with a faintly helpless expression.
“Please don’t worry, O-Saki-san, O-Fuku-san. This time, I will not lose.”
He faced forward again, looking directly at Tōyama, who had retrieved his bokken from one of his junior disciples.
Tōyama finally made up his mind.
They had time to spare, so he might as well humor Ogata a little longer.
“You had better truly have been concealing your strength,” he said coldly.
“If I discover that you’re merely bluffing, I may become angry enough to cripple you with one blow.”
“You needn’t concern yourself with that.” Ogata smiled.
“You should be the one keeping his guard tight. Otherwise, I might accidentally cripple you.”
* * * This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
O-Saki did not believe that a man who had just been crushed so completely could suddenly acquire enough strength to defeat Tōyama.
But she was wrong—utterly wrong.
Ogata truly did possess the power to become stronger in an instant.
I was far too careless just now…
No, I was a fool!
I still have far too little real experience.
The moment I realized Tōyama would not be easy to defeat, I should have spent my skill points.
If we had been using real swords, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
By the time his blade pierced my chest, I wouldn’t have had a chance to assign a single point.
I must remember this lesson.
Ogata drew a deep breath.
System…
he called silently.
Increase Reflexes by two points and Agility by one.
Spend all three Sakakibara Ittō-ryū skill points on raising Bird Thrust.
The familiar voice immediately sounded inside his mind.
Ding!
Agility +1.
Current Agility: 7.
Ding!
Reflexes +2.
Current Reflexes: 7.
Remaining general skill points: 2.
Ding!
One style-exclusive skill point consumed.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū: Bird Thrust has advanced to Intermediate.
Ding!
Two style-exclusive skill points consumed.
Sakakibara Ittō-ryū: Bird Thrust has advanced to Advanced.
Remaining Sakakibara Ittō-ryū skill points: 0.
Defeating Tōyama shouldn’t require every point I have.
Six ought to be enough…
Only two general skill points remained.
Spending so many at once pained him, but the resulting improvement was unmistakable.
As the system’s voice faded, his body felt markedly lighter.
His sight, hearing, and other senses sharpened, and even the sword in his hands felt different.
He knew instinctively that if he used Bird Thrust now, it would be faster, more accurate, and more ruthless than ever before.
He had invested all three style-specific points in Bird Thrust because he believed it was the best technique for defeating Tōyama.
Their first match had shown him that Tōyama excelled in speed: his footwork, defense, and attacks were all extraordinarily fast.
The best way to defeat an opponent who relied upon speed was to become even faster.
And Bird Thrust was the fastest attack in Sakakibara Ittō-ryū.
The school possessed only four sword techniques, but every one was extremely practical, with distinct strengths and weaknesses.
Everyone knew that the shortest distance between two points was a straight line.
That was why, across nearly every school of swordsmanship, the technique most likely to reach an opponent first was a thrust—without exception.
A cut had to trace an arc.
A thrust traveled directly toward its target and was naturally faster.
Thus, to overcome Tōyama’s speed, Ogata had raised Bird Thrust directly from Beginner to Advanced.
* * *
Ogata and Tōyama gripped their bokken and settled into their stances once more.
The spectators who had begun to disperse saw that the spectacle was not yet over and crowded back around them.
A tight ring of bodies re-formed around the two swordsmen and their improvised battlefield.
Ogata and Tōyama advanced with slow, measured steps.
The instant Ogata entered his range, Tōyama shouted and drove his sword forward.
It was the same lightning-fast thrust that had defeated Ogata moments earlier—the attack whose afterimage he had barely been able to see.
During their first match, even with his eyes wide and every nerve pulled taut, Ogata had been unable to follow Tōyama’s sword.
Now, with his Reflexes raised by two points to a total of seven, he could see it perfectly.
Every inch of the bokken’s path was clear.
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